Liberal Ministers Vote Themselves Bonuses Bigger Than Minimum Wage Worker’s Annual Salary
- NL NDP
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
For Immediate Release
July 22, 2025
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) says he’s still appalled that the Liberal cabinet secretly backed a massive bonus for departing ministers, one that exceeds what a minimum wage worker earns in this province in an entire year.
“The current minimum wage is $16 an hour. That’s about $33,000 a year for someone working full-time,” said Dinn. “And yet, while people are struggling with the cost of living, the Liberals think it’s acceptable to hand out $48,000 bonuses to departing ministers. That’s more than a full year’s wages for a minimum wage worker. It’s disgraceful. They say they’re doing ‘all they can’ to help, but their actions show otherwise.”
Dinn says the fact that the decision was made in secret shows the Liberal cabinet knew the public would be outraged — and chose to go ahead with it anyway, prioritizing secrecy over accountability. He says it’s not only disingenuous, but also a clear sign of how out of touch the Liberals are with the everyday reality people in this province are facing.
“It is beyond me how out of touch this cabinet is. When it comes to the House of Assembly, they all rise and talk about how much they are hearing from their constituents how hard it is to keep their heads above water, yet they turn around and make this decision. How could anyone do this?” Dinn questioned.
“None of these ministers are living paycheque to paycheque,” said Dinn. “To make such a selfish decision after hearing firsthand how much people are struggling is nothing short of greed.”
Dinn is calling on the Premier to release the vote results, so the public knows exactly who supported the decision.
“We’re heading into a general election, and people have a right to know where their representatives stand,” said Dinn. “Do they support giving $48,000 to their colleagues, or do they stand with the people who are barely getting by? Voters deserve that transparency.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca